LEATHERHEAD Hospital would be completely rebuilt, under plans unveiled this week, as part of a wider shake-up of national health services that will affect the whole of Mole Valley.

A parcel of land at the Leatherhead clinic would be sold off and the proceeds used to build a new 40-bed community hospital with clinic services. Other innovations would include more outpatient accommodation, better diagnostics and one-stop services.

The hospital has also been chosen for an entirely new experimental care programme for people with chronic disease.

The current programme of improvements at Dorking Hospital would continue with better lighting, access to outside space, communal seating and redecoration. The therapies area would be improved and the range of outpatient services increased.

Both community hospitals would be part of a local network that would also include similar facilities at Cobham, Molesey and Epsom. They would cater for a range of health care services for all but the most seriously ill patients including minor injuries, day surgery, outpatients and dentistry.

The seriously ill would be referred to a new critical care hospital catering for a wider area of South London and Mid Surrey. The site still has to be decided and is a source of concern for people in Mole Valley.

They are worried that it could be too far away and that there would be serious travel problems especially for people on public transport.

While the site still has to be decided, health chiefs revealed this week that they have whittled down the list of options to five locations.

The Epsom Hospital site is a candidate as is nearby West Park Hospital, the Sutton Hospital site and land opposite St Helier Hospital, Carshalton. A late entrant in the race is land at Priest Hill, Ewell, that used to be used as playing fields by London schools with no sports facilities of their own.

A new critical care hospital is expected to cost between £215 million to £230 million In addition, a further £50 million would be spent in the East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey primary care trust (PCT) area on local care hospitals.

The plans have now gone out to public consultation. Decisions are expected to be made in January after which building could start in 2007 with an anticipated finish some time in 2010.

Members of Mole Valley Council were given an update on Tuesday at a meeting of the scrutiny committee.

They expressed a number of doubts over the programme including the time it might take for patients and relatives to get from Mole Valley to the critical care hospital.

There was also some scepticism that the finance for such an expensive programme would ever be forthcoming.